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IDEO’s 7 Rules of Brainstorming
Next time you’re ready to brainstorm, try out these “rules” of brainstorming from IDEO, which Steve Bishop from IDEO shared at the Sustainable Brands 2008 conference. According to Steve, these brainstorming guidelines appear everywhere at IDEO, from conference rooms to business cards.
THE SEVEN RULES OF BRAINSTORMING (FROM IDEO)
1) Defer judgment
Don’t dismiss any ideas.
Any idea is a good idea, no matter how crazy.
Nothing can kill the spirit of a brainstorm quicker than judging ideas before they have a chance to gain legs.
2) Encourage wild ideas
Embrace the most out-of-the-box notions because they can be the key to solutions.
The whole point of brainstorming is coming up with new and creative ideas.
3) Build on the ideas of others
No “buts”, only “ands.”
Sometimes people say crazy and bizarre things, like “make it on Mars”, but there is some element of truth in it. When you build on the ideas of others, you might bring those crazy ideas back down to earth and make them real innovations.
4) Stay focused on the topic
Always keep the discussion on target.
Otherwise you can diverge beyond the scope of what you’re trying to design for.
5) One conversation at a time
No interrupting, no dismissing, no disrespect, no rudeness.
Let people have their say.
6) Be visual
Use yellow, red and blue markers to write on big 30-inch by 25-inch Post-its that are put on a wall.
Nothing gets an idea across faster than drawing it. Doesn’t matter how terrible of a sketcher you are.
7) Go for quantity
Aim for as many new ideas as possible. In a good session, up to 100 ideas are generated in 60 minutes.
Crank the ideas out quickly.
TAKE ACTION: What is the next situation in your business when you’ll be able to apply these brainstorming practices?
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Want to learn about related brainstorming strategies from IDEO? Check out this blog post with 7 ways to help brainstorming and Six surefire ways to KILL a brainstorm.
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